To date, there exist various types of implant-joint replacement of the foot. Dow Corning Wright has manufactured the SILASTIC.RTM. HP 100 (Swanson type) Weil design, which consists of a double stemmed flexible implant with a cylindrical center body. Sutter Biomedical introduced both the Sutter and Sgarlato design which also consist of flexible double-hinged implants with a rectangular or trapazoidal central body. The techniques involved in implantation of these devices are rather similar. All consist of an arthroplasty of the joint, with resection of the head of the proximal phalanx, reaming of the modulary canal, and stem insertion. A description of these techniques is found in Shaw, A., et al. The use of Digital Implants For the Correction of Hammer Toe Deformity and Their Potential Complications and Management, 31 The Journal of Foot Surgery 63 (January/February 1992.)
Though simple, this technique is frought with complications. These include the following:
1. recurrence of FLEXION deformity;
2. infection;
3. biomaterial failure;
4. bone damage;
5. reactive synovitis with silicone shards discovered in inguinal nodes; and
6. implant dislocation.